"Failure To Thrive" is a Developmental Problem
Failure To Thrive in children is a general term which recognizes that a child is not progressing through developmental stages. So, there is little or no maturation physically, emotionally, socially, behaviorally, or intellectually.
The medical and psychological professions are able to identify a small percentage of these children who are in this condition, because of some disease or other condition. But the majority of them are called Non-Organic Failure To Thrive.
Some of these are for socio-economic reasons. For instance, there is no money to buy food. Some are for sociological reasons. For instance, parents not knowing how to take care of a child or not wanting to take care of the child. There are even reasons involving the child shutting down the desire to eat for emotional reasons.
There is a large percentage of these children who are not developing and officially no one knows why they are not developing. Teams of medical, physical, and psychological experts work with these children and their families and little or no improvement occurs.
The medical and psychological professions are able to identify a small percentage of these children who are in this condition, because of some disease or other condition. But the majority of them are called Non-Organic Failure To Thrive.
Some of these are for socio-economic reasons. For instance, there is no money to buy food. Some are for sociological reasons. For instance, parents not knowing how to take care of a child or not wanting to take care of the child. There are even reasons involving the child shutting down the desire to eat for emotional reasons.
There is a large percentage of these children who are not developing and officially no one knows why they are not developing. Teams of medical, physical, and psychological experts work with these children and their families and little or no improvement occurs.
Understanding Failure To Thrive
Sometimes Failure To Thrive is brought on by the child's defenses reacting to normal environmental factors as if those normal things were toxic. These defensive reactions can shut down the developmental process. Here is an overview of Failure To Thrive.
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What Is "Failure To Thrive" And What Can Be Done About It?
Failure To Thrive is a interruption in physical growth and weight gain that can lead to interruptions in the developmental process and maturation.
Failure To Thrive is a description of a condition given to children who are consistently less than the normal weight for their age or who do not gain weight for unclear reasons. There may be many reasons for this. Many reasons for this involve social and environmental elements that work together to keep the baby from having the nutrition the baby needs. Sometimes, medical disorders prevent a baby from developing normally. Another major contributing factor is the child's own sensitivities.
If There Are Social And Environmental Based Problems
Many social and environmental elements can be responsible for Failure To Thrive. Parental neglect or abuse, parental mental health difficulties, and disordered family situations in which routine, nutritious meals are not provided, may all repress a child's appetite and food intake. The amount of money a family has to spend on food and the nutritional value of the food they buy also affects growth. Inadequate food intake may reflect poor parenting and environmental stimulation.
If The Problems Are Medical Problems
Sometimes Failure To Thrive Syndrome is brought on by a medical disorder in the baby. The disorder can be as simple as difficulty drinking, chewing, or swallowing (as a child might have with a cleft lip or cleft palate). Medical issues, such as acid reflux, esophagus narrowing, or poor intestinal absorption, may also affect a child's ability to obtain nutrition from food. And, other medical problems such as infections, tumors, hormonal or metabolic disorders (such as diabetes or cystic fibrosis), heart diseases, kidney diseases, genetic disorders, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are other physical reasons for Failure To Thrive.
If The Problems Are Based In Sensitivities
And, sometimes child and infant Failure To Thrive is brought on by the baby's body reacting to normal environmental factors as if those normal things were toxic. This is a intolerance of some environmental factors which the child's defenses thinks is toxic.
This response to this "toxic attack" could involve shutting down the baby's normal developmental process as a temporary protective tactic until the "attack" goes away. But, because these environmental factors are not toxic to others, the family and the medical professionals do not know to eliminate these "toxic" things from the baby's environment. In this case this temporary protective defensive response continues indefinitely. This means that the baby's own defenses blocks the baby's normal developmental process on an ongoing basis, because of the child's sensitivities.
Diagnosis For The Roots In Medical Problems And Social And Environmental Issues
Doctors diagnose Failure To Thrive when the baby's weight or physical development is much less than what it should be when compared with past measurements or standard height-weight charts. If the physical development is adequate, the baby may be small for his or her age but still developing normally.
To find out why a baby may be failing to grow , doctors ask the parents specific questions about feeding, bowel habits, social, emotional, and financial stability of the family, which might affect the baby's access to food, and illnesses that the baby has had or that run in the family. The medical practitioner examines the baby, looking for signals that may explain the baby's delay in development. The medical practitioner makes decisions about blood and urine tests and x-rays based on this evaluation. Additional examinations are performed only if the doctor thinks there is an underlying disease.
Finding The Child's Sensitivities
There are some published diets (GFCF Diet and Feingold Diet) which attempt to address these intolerance issues. These diets work well for those children who are intolerant of the things which are specifically restricted by these programs. But, for the majority of children whose sensitivities are affecting their growth and development, these diets are incomplete and not specifically tailored for them.
It is best to have a specialist, who knows how to perform this specific test for intolerance, work with your child to determine your child's precise list of sensitivities. Those who perform this testing can include chiropractors, nutritionists, and other wellness practitioners trained for this specific type of evaluation.
Treatment and Prognosis For The Roots In Medical Problems And Social And Environmental Issues
The medical difficulties and social and environmental roots approach assumes there is something wrong with the baby's body or the child's social environment. These interventions are focused on a fault in the baby's nutritional processing or access.
Treatment intervention depends on the root of the difficulty. If a medical problem is found, specific interventions are performed. Otherwise, treatment depends on how far below normal the baby's weight is. Mild to moderate Failure To Thrive is treated with high-calorie nutritious feedings provided on a regular schedule. Parents could be counseled about family interactions that are damaging to the child and about financial and social resources available for their family. More severe Failure To Thrive is treated in the hospital where social workers, nutritionists, psychiatrists, feeding specialists, and other specialists team together to determine the most likely causes of the child's Failure To Thrive and the best approach to recovery.
Treatment For The Roots In Sensitivities
The interventions for the sensitivities approach is to determine which environmental factors the baby is reacting to and eliminates those from the baby's environment. When the baby is no longer reacting to those, the normal process of development kicks in and growth and development can proceed normally. With this intervention, nourishment is absorbed and growth and development starts to catch up. There are specialists in Failure To Thrive syndrome who can determine your child's sensitivities and coach you in getting your child back on track.
Summary
The social and environmental approach assumes that something is wrong in the baby's social environment in such a way that nourishment is not available or is not accepted by the baby.
The medical difficulties approach for Failure To Thrive infants and children assumes that nourishment is not being processed and absorbed by the baby because of some medical problem.
The sensitivities approach for Failure To Thrive children assumes that the baby is having reactions to environmental factors and these reactions are shutting down the normal growth and developmental process.
Come by our free social network focused on Failure To Thrive and join the conversation.
Failure To Thrive is a description of a condition given to children who are consistently less than the normal weight for their age or who do not gain weight for unclear reasons. There may be many reasons for this. Many reasons for this involve social and environmental elements that work together to keep the baby from having the nutrition the baby needs. Sometimes, medical disorders prevent a baby from developing normally. Another major contributing factor is the child's own sensitivities.
If There Are Social And Environmental Based Problems
Many social and environmental elements can be responsible for Failure To Thrive. Parental neglect or abuse, parental mental health difficulties, and disordered family situations in which routine, nutritious meals are not provided, may all repress a child's appetite and food intake. The amount of money a family has to spend on food and the nutritional value of the food they buy also affects growth. Inadequate food intake may reflect poor parenting and environmental stimulation.
If The Problems Are Medical Problems
Sometimes Failure To Thrive Syndrome is brought on by a medical disorder in the baby. The disorder can be as simple as difficulty drinking, chewing, or swallowing (as a child might have with a cleft lip or cleft palate). Medical issues, such as acid reflux, esophagus narrowing, or poor intestinal absorption, may also affect a child's ability to obtain nutrition from food. And, other medical problems such as infections, tumors, hormonal or metabolic disorders (such as diabetes or cystic fibrosis), heart diseases, kidney diseases, genetic disorders, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are other physical reasons for Failure To Thrive.
If The Problems Are Based In Sensitivities
And, sometimes child and infant Failure To Thrive is brought on by the baby's body reacting to normal environmental factors as if those normal things were toxic. This is a intolerance of some environmental factors which the child's defenses thinks is toxic.
This response to this "toxic attack" could involve shutting down the baby's normal developmental process as a temporary protective tactic until the "attack" goes away. But, because these environmental factors are not toxic to others, the family and the medical professionals do not know to eliminate these "toxic" things from the baby's environment. In this case this temporary protective defensive response continues indefinitely. This means that the baby's own defenses blocks the baby's normal developmental process on an ongoing basis, because of the child's sensitivities.
Diagnosis For The Roots In Medical Problems And Social And Environmental Issues
Doctors diagnose Failure To Thrive when the baby's weight or physical development is much less than what it should be when compared with past measurements or standard height-weight charts. If the physical development is adequate, the baby may be small for his or her age but still developing normally.
To find out why a baby may be failing to grow , doctors ask the parents specific questions about feeding, bowel habits, social, emotional, and financial stability of the family, which might affect the baby's access to food, and illnesses that the baby has had or that run in the family. The medical practitioner examines the baby, looking for signals that may explain the baby's delay in development. The medical practitioner makes decisions about blood and urine tests and x-rays based on this evaluation. Additional examinations are performed only if the doctor thinks there is an underlying disease.
Finding The Child's Sensitivities
There are some published diets (GFCF Diet and Feingold Diet) which attempt to address these intolerance issues. These diets work well for those children who are intolerant of the things which are specifically restricted by these programs. But, for the majority of children whose sensitivities are affecting their growth and development, these diets are incomplete and not specifically tailored for them.
It is best to have a specialist, who knows how to perform this specific test for intolerance, work with your child to determine your child's precise list of sensitivities. Those who perform this testing can include chiropractors, nutritionists, and other wellness practitioners trained for this specific type of evaluation.
Treatment and Prognosis For The Roots In Medical Problems And Social And Environmental Issues
The medical difficulties and social and environmental roots approach assumes there is something wrong with the baby's body or the child's social environment. These interventions are focused on a fault in the baby's nutritional processing or access.
Treatment intervention depends on the root of the difficulty. If a medical problem is found, specific interventions are performed. Otherwise, treatment depends on how far below normal the baby's weight is. Mild to moderate Failure To Thrive is treated with high-calorie nutritious feedings provided on a regular schedule. Parents could be counseled about family interactions that are damaging to the child and about financial and social resources available for their family. More severe Failure To Thrive is treated in the hospital where social workers, nutritionists, psychiatrists, feeding specialists, and other specialists team together to determine the most likely causes of the child's Failure To Thrive and the best approach to recovery.
Treatment For The Roots In Sensitivities
The interventions for the sensitivities approach is to determine which environmental factors the baby is reacting to and eliminates those from the baby's environment. When the baby is no longer reacting to those, the normal process of development kicks in and growth and development can proceed normally. With this intervention, nourishment is absorbed and growth and development starts to catch up. There are specialists in Failure To Thrive syndrome who can determine your child's sensitivities and coach you in getting your child back on track.
Summary
The social and environmental approach assumes that something is wrong in the baby's social environment in such a way that nourishment is not available or is not accepted by the baby.
The medical difficulties approach for Failure To Thrive infants and children assumes that nourishment is not being processed and absorbed by the baby because of some medical problem.
The sensitivities approach for Failure To Thrive children assumes that the baby is having reactions to environmental factors and these reactions are shutting down the normal growth and developmental process.
Come by our free social network focused on Failure To Thrive and join the conversation.
Our Link List
- Why Do The GFCF, Gluten Free, Casein Free, And Feingold Diets Succeed For Some Children And Not For Others?
- A Squidoo Lens about these diets and Failure To Thrive and other developmental problems.
- Failure to Thrive
- A social network site for a Failure To Thrive Community of parents of children with a diagnosis or label of Failure To Thrive.
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- A social network for those interested in accredited distance learning graduate programs.
- Make Money From Your Website
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- ViralURL Affiliate Link Cloaking
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YouTube Videos About Failure To Thrive
This is the standard medical view of Failure To Thrive from Merck. This approach assumes that something is wrong with the parenting or something is wrong medically. From my experience less than half of of children with Failure To Thrive have the causes this medical approach assumes.
curated content from YouTube
This is a more personal view of the topic and this represents one of the 'normal' reasons a child has difficulty moving through the developmental process.
curated content from YouTube
by radcliffbailey
Working with brain function, language, and behavior as coach for individuals and organizations. And, coaching for families which have children with developmental... more »
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